1953 Map of Smithers Lake

About this map

Hydrological engineering and resource extraction define this Fort Bend County landscape during the mid-20th century. The prominent Smithers Lake and Worthington Lake dominate the northeast, while the rest of the terrain is a complex network of man-made drainage, including a dense system of ditches and levees designed to manage the flow of Big Creek, Fairchilds Creek, and Deer Creek. These modifications supported the industrial footprint of the Sulphur Field and an Oil Field, where evaporating ponds and pipelines altered the natural drainage basins of Rabbs Bayou and Pilant Lake.